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HAPPY THOUGHTS

Here is a collection of my spiritual thoughts and some excerpts:

What Lupus Has Taught Me
"Be grateful for your mind and your breath. Be grateful that you are here
to experience mortality to learn and grow. Perfect health and perfect
bodies are NOT needed for happiness and gratitude. On the contrary, I
have found my ill-health has made me MORE grateful for the good days.
Lupus has been the vehicle with which the Lord has used to reveal
Himself to me in my life. He has used it to refine me and force me to
look outside of myself and ultimately lose my life in the service of
others. For all of that I am eternally grateful."

My Last Weigh-in
"People with weight issues are not the only ones who try to measure their worth with outside calibrations. This problem of “measuring yourself” is a problem in so many other areas. It spans almost all aspects of our lives. Measuring, comparing, and weighing are all corrosive to confidence and self-esteem. I did a lot of soul searching to discover the “measuring sticks” in my life and there were many. What are you measuring yourself by? How do you weigh your worth?"

"It may seem like such a small thing, in such a small moment of my life, but I knew at that moment I had Heavenly help pushing my handcart, as I have had on so many other occasions as well. I am grateful that even though sometimes Heavenly Father cannot remove a trial from our lives, He strengthens us and blesses us through that trial. Sometimes the push comes from a from a loved one or a complete stranger. Sometimes it comes from unseen powers. Most often it comes when we think we cannot possibly take another step."

Motherhood Hindsight
"Being a mom is a divine calling. It's the greatest job, the highest calling, the most important thing I will do on this earth. And I'm not just saying that. I believe it with every fiber of my being. I have received a very sure witness that motherhood is divine and as close to godliness as any other role. Even if the tasks seem mundane, the job thankless and the work never-ending, it is God's work. You are His hands. If you don't already feel this in your heart, pray for the same assurance and peace and it will come. I promise you that."

Life is Good
"During this season of introspection and gratitude I feel myself compelled to a sense of optimism and gratefulness. Grateful because God knows me and has compassion on me and my thick scull. And optimistic that despite it all, life really is good."

The Gratitude Experiment
"The gratitude experiment is this: every time I feel ungrateful or want to complain or groan or take a baseball bat to something, I try to find sincere gratitude in that moment. Leaky faucets become a blessing because you acknowledge you have clean, running water and most of the world does not. Whiny children become a blessing when you acknowledge that they are healthy and safe as you tuck them in at night. This gratitude experiment forces you to look past the annoyance to see the treasure. And I promise there are treasures in every frustration, heartache and problem."

"Christ paid for the suffering of the sinner and the sinned against. Our sufferings are His sufferings. He desires to take them from you. Go to Him for help. Have a real conversation with Him. Tell Him why you are upset, why you feel mistreated or why it is hard to forgive. Let His atonement be powerful enough to heal your broken heart. Give Him the burden, let justice be in His hands. Someday it will all be fair. But for now, it is the atonement that undoes wrongs and removes the affects of being mistreated by others."